Biedermeier Furniture
The authentic Biedermeier furniture on 1stDibs is representative of the first modern European decorative style not dictated by the tastes of the aristocracy. Following the Napoleonic wars, a growing, wealthy urban middle class in the German-speaking states of Central Europe began to demand rights and privileges once granted only to nobles. To avoid trouble, the upwardly striving confined their political discussions to one another’s homes. And so the salon was born.
Cabinetmakers in cities such as Vienna, Berlin and Mainz began to offer goods that reflected the tastes and needs of the new class. The makers of Biedermeier chairs, tables and other furniture used little or no gilding, silver hardware or other lavish ornament. Ebonized trims are common on Biedermeier cabinetry, and neoclassical elements — lyre-shaped chair splats, carved scrollwork, table supports shaped like Greek columns. But the strongest aesthetic statement came from the wood — richly-grained, honey-colored, often book-matched veneers of walnut and fruitwood.
There are two iconic Biedermeier furniture forms, both made to outfit rooms designed for conversation. One is the sofa, deeply upholstered with a strong, architectural wooden frame. The second is the circular pedestal table, which stood at the center of the room, offering a surface on which to place coffee and cake services; or to roll out a map, or sketch out ideas on paper.
“Biedermeier” was originally a derogatory term — it derives from the pen names of two German magazine writers who mocked bourgeois manners. Looking at the elegant and refined antique, new and vintage Biedermeier furniture offered on 1stDibs, that is now an amusing irony.
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
18th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1830s English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
18th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Wood
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Mahogany
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Mahogany, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
Early 1900s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1870s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Beads
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1860s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Maple, Walnut, Softwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Fruitwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1880s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1910s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Beech, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Cane, Amboyna
Mid-17th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cherry, Ebony
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Alpaca, Glass
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bone, Maple
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1810s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain